Dead At Last
by ncisduckie
Summary: Ray Cruz is dead, and Ziva shows up at Tony's door. He learns about the engagement and her love for him. He wants to help her heal, until he screws everything up. Now she's gone and the team can't find her. *Set between Season 8 and 9* Please R&R! COMPLETE!    *Undergoing Revision*
1. Teasing Leads to Death

**A/N: I'm BAAAAAAAACK! To let people know—this story is AU set in between Season 8 and 9. This clears up the complications of Ray coming back (And Ziva punching him) as well as Barret (at least she was better in Season 9)**

**Just a Little reminder: **

**-Fan-FICTION is purely fiction. If you tell me about how this is unreal, I will bite your head off!**

**-I DO NOT Own NCIS. Yet. :D **

**. . .**

There were two things wrong with the world at that exact moment:

Ziva David was in love with a man named Ray Cruz who had promised eventual marriage.

Ray Cruz was dead.

It happened not even twenty-four hours ago, when the sanity of our newest NCIS agent—my favorite too- went haywire. It was a relatively calm day, for we were just finishing case reports. Nobody, especially Ziva, would have guessed that it was going to be the day of the return and death of her precious CI-Ray.

**. . . **

"You know, after ten years of working with NCIS, I still don't understand the point of filling out case reports," I remarked as I closed my own. The papers hit together with a satisfying thunk.

"It is so people _like you _can see our perspectives on the cases. And so they remember what it is about twenty years from now," Ziva replied as she typed away.

"You do realize that I take offense at that right?" I said, actually well offended without an ounce of sarcasm dripping from my words. When she smiled after I spoke, I knew something was up. "Well since you're too nice to be laughing at my expense, what are you doing? I know for a fact that case reports do not make people smile."

Her smile broadened, "I finished my report about ten minutes ago, I'm emailing Ray."

"CI-Ray, huh? I bet he has never even responded, let alone read them," I said with some snarl. I didn't really want to hurt her, but I couldn't help but be a bit jealous. Personally, I thought it was quite stupid for her to hang on to a man who was selling her so many lies.

Ziva gasped and shot daggers at me with her eyes. I was just about to open my mouth to apologize when she turned away, showing me her back. I sighed and turned to McGee. "McGoo, where are you with your reports?"

"I've been done with mine for a good twenty minutes, Tony. It's on Gibbs's desk along with Ziva's," McGee said, also on his computer.

"Well, what are you doing now?" I demanded.

"I'm—Why do you care? You hate what I do with my free time." McGee said, also annoyed with me.

I turned back to Ziva who was still avoiding eye contact with me. "I'm being ignored by both the Probie and the Probette, what a concept!" I exclaimed. After a few uncomfortable minutes of me shifting in my chair, I decided to break the silence and I turned back to Ziva, "Ziva, I'm sorry. I asked 'cause your Casanova is lying to you. Probie, you're right, I couldn't care less what you do with your geeky time. I just needed to talk, or else I would've gone crazy. But it seems I'm too late." I looked at both of them, waiting for a response. When all I got was eye-rolls, I got up. "If Gibbs asks, I'm taking a break." They both ignored me as I walked out of the room and toward the vending machines.

**. . .**

That was how the day began, with everyone mad at me. It continued like that for a while. McGee was easy to apologize to; I gave him a red foil package of NutterButters on my way back from the break room. He accepted them with open, greedy hands. Ziva was a bit more stubborn—as always. I tried to upright apologize in the bull-pen and she turned away. Later, I cornered her in the lady's room, but she pushed me away and walked off, leaving me in the dust. I finally was able to apologize before she left for home. I left early and was able to place a single white tulip from the front planters on her red mini cooper and waited until she came down from work. When she saw me, my woes from before were forgotten when she smiled and told me she forgave me.

**. . . **

I had been home for a few hours and I began to change out of my clothes when my doorbell rang. I proceed to the door in an awkward waddle as I pulled on my sweats. I opened my door to find a bloody Ziva David in my doorway. Her eyes widen slightly when she saw me shirtless, but she continued to remain silent and keep her eyes at the floor. "Ziva? Ziva, what the hell happened?" I ask, and then opened my door wider when she didn't respond. "Come in, let's get you cleaned up." I led her into my apartment and sat her down on my couch—not entirely giving a damn about the blood. "Ziva, what's wrong? If Ray hurt you, I swear-"

She shook her head looked up at me, a single tear falling down her face. "R-Ray, is dead."

**. . .**

**A/N: This was revised by my dear friend from our underground asylum, OldStoneFace (if you like Discworld—check him out!). This is slowly being revised by my lazy butt and my idiot grammar skills.**


	2. Hurt and Lies

**Dead at Last Ch. 2**

**A/N: I'm very happy with my reviews. I adore reviews. And I'm on a roll! *Trying to get this revised before my Grammar-Freak friends go on a review spree on Wednesday!***

**. . .**

A moment passed. I stared at her, my mind a sea of confusion. "Wait, What?" I asked "Did you just say that Ray is…dead? I thought he was still on some special mission." Which was mainly true—I figured he must be on a break. He made Ziva smile with an e-mail.

"So did I, but his bloody corpse lays on the couch in my apartment as we speak," She sighed, allowing herself to shed a few more tears. Damn, I hadn't seen her _this_ torn apart since…well, since Israel. But something about the situation was off.

"But why come to ME, of all people? Why not Gibbs? I thought you were still kind of mad at me."

Ziva took a deep breath, "I couldn't go to Gibbs because, well Gibbs might laugh or even made me leave. He hated Ray more than you did. I came to you because you understand what it is like to lose someone close to you. You also know how to handle me when I'm upset, like when I killed Andrew Hoffman , the serial killer, Michael Locke, the guy I slept with to forget Andrew, and then of course what happened two years ago with Mi—"

"Yes, I remember." I cut her off so she didn't finish saying HIS name. I remembered clearly the night I saved my own life and I killed Michael Rivkin. I remembered when Ziva was undercover and her cover had been blown. She was mad at mostly herself for being stupid and letting herself get too close to Andrew. In result, she ended up drinking too much and giving her feelings up to Michel Locke and slept with him. At least as far as I know, she slept with him.

I knew how to handle her, sure… she needs space. As long as either I or the whole team stays out of her way, she's fine. "I do know how to 'handle you,' " I said slowly, preparing to repeat what my head told me. "You need space. And if you had gone to Gibbs you would have gotten that space. Maybe even a few days off. As for me— as Ray said, I'm like a 'big brother' to you. I care too much to give you the space you need."

Ziva looked at me, "When did he call you a 'big brother?'" Oops—I probably shouldn't have let that slip. She hadn't known Ray and I already had a verbal fight. Around the same time they did.

"Before Mike died. He said it because he said he loved you and as trying to make me mad by saying I was like a brother to you. He thought I had feelings for you, and was trying to break them." I laughed. "He was a bastard, no offence." Nothing the idiot said could tear me away from Ziva. Mossad had already tried and failed.

She glared at me. "You're making fun of him. I really don't need to hear this from you right now." Her voice was cold and hateful and dug into my heart. She started to get up from my couch, but I stood up quicker and easily blocked her path.

"I'm sorry Ziva, I-I'm just still confused on why you would come to the person who made fun of your boyfriend not twelve hours ago. And you didn't even accept my apology until right before you found his body. I would think you would go to anyone _but_ me."

Ziva took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes—sadness seeping from them. "I accepted your apology because…because you were right. Ray was lying to me all along."

**. . . **

**A/N: I love this chapter! The dramatic-ness ensues! In my mind anyway. *insert winky face***


	3. Nightmares and Bad Ideas

**Dead at Last Ch.3**

**A/N: Mer-Her-Her. I've reached chapter three! I'm going to finish this! Actually—my lazy tendencies will overcome me soon. And my friends will see my old work as it was. Terrible. *Sigh***

**. . .**

"_I accepted your apology because….because you were right. Ray was lying to me the whole time."_

_**. . .**_

I raised my eyebrows, not expecting _that _to fall out from her lips. "By lying to you…you mean what exactly?" I asked, stunned.

"Lying to me as _in lying to me_! He wasn't on a 'classified mission,' he was in Tel Aviv doing who-knows-what and ignoring me! His spiel about marriage was all a joke!" She cried. Her head fell and I could feel the tears hit my bare feet.

"Marriage? Whoa, I didn't know you guys were that serious. I'm so sorry, Ziva," I said with my eyes wide. I thought she was upset because her_ boyfriend _was dead, not her potential _fiancé! _

"That's _not_ the point, Tony. That was just something we talked about before he left. It meant _nothing_. It never meant anything. The point is that I let myself stay attached to this lying jerk!" She kept her eyes glued to the ground, angry with both herself and Ray.

"You were _Hopelessly Devoted_," I say quietly, making the connection in my head. It was like one of the best musicals on the face of the planet.

"What do you mean that I was _Hopelessly Devoted?"_ She snapped, her head flying up and her eyes glassy.

"You're like Sandy in _Grease…"_ I take a look at her mad-as-hell face and turned the thought in the other direction, "Shutting off the movie quotes."

"Thanks," she said finally, nervously picking at her hands.

I looked at my partner and realized exactly how broken down this normally strong woman is. I sit her back on the couch in an attempt to calm her down. After a few minutes of awkward silence, I realized she shouldn't be basking in the memories or pain of what happened earlier. "You want to watch a movie?" I asked hesitantly.

She glared at me like I'm stupid but as she noticed my hurt face, her own face softened. "Tony, I'm sorry. A movie will be nice," She admitted softly.

"Great!" I exclaimed, turning toward the hallway. "I know the perfect one!" I strode over to my massive movie collection and proceeded to pick out my dusty copy of _The Sound of Music_, knowing it is her favorite one. I knew it is one of the few movies she's watched in the full, but a favorite is a favorite. I walked back to the room and she semi-smiled when she sees my selection.

"I thought you hated this one," She pointed out, relaxing up from her tensed posture just a little. "We don't have to watch a movie you don't enjoy, I am a guest here."

"Well, you're right about me disliking it. But since I haven't seen it since….I honestly don't know, I'm willing to give it another shot," I fibbed trying to hide the true reason and failing miserably. It's the only thing that would make her happy. Truly smile.

She sighed, tensing back up. "Why are you doing this, Tony?"

I paused momentarily, and then proceeded to ignore the question. I sauntered to the DVD player and slid the movie in. To even further avoid the ominous 'WHY,' I ushered her to one side of the couch and sat on the other side myself.

During the first thirty minutes of the movie, I passed out from boredom. After what feels like hours of dreamless sleep, I'm awoken by an ear-piercing scream. "I'm awake; I saw the whole movie I swear!" I shouted as I jumped from my sleep. When I recovered from the scare, I pivot to realize my partner was the one the scream came forth from.

As I watched her, she thrashed every which way on the couch and continued to whimper. After she quieted down, it finally registered in my brain upon how she was having I nightmare and I rushed down to her side of the couch. "Ziva! ZIVA!" I shook her limp body, trying to will her awake with my mind. "Ziva, come on, wake-up! It's just a dream!" Her eyelids continued to stay glued shut and my heart sunk. Then I came up with an idea. It's an idea that just might cause either her or Gibbs to kill me.

**. . .**


	4. The Kiss and Letter

**A/N: So many happy people! Yay! Sorry for taking so long to post, I spent forever looking for my writing pens at the store. The B2P pens rock. Also I've been bugging girls on You-Tube for their auto-tuned songs. I'm so mean to girls ripping off ncis and avril lavigne. anyway….ONWARDS! It'll be wicked!**

**. . .**

I knew what I had to do, and I was willing to die because of it. I kneel down from my current position and brace myself for what I was about to do. I press my lips to Ziva's, and nothing happens. Just as I was about to come up for air, she begins to kiss me back…passionately. I open my eyes to find her still asleep, which means she was kissing _someone _in her dream/nightmare. Before I pull away, Ziva's eyes fly open and she screams, kicking me in the gut as she shot up.

"Wh-What just happened?" She asked, angry or surprised, I couldn't tell which.

"Well… you see," I start, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation but came up with nothing, "You were… having a nightmare…I guess."

"But why, WHY would you KISS me?" She demanded.

"You were screaming, Ziva. I had no idea what to do! You wouldn't wake up when I shook and you and I'm pretty sure you would prefer a kiss instead of a slap across the face!" I say, defending myself.

"But you could have done something ELSE, like splashing water in my face. In my current state, I do not know if that meant anything. And considering my boyfriend was just killed, I do not want anything like that, especially not with YOU!" she screamed, causing my eyes to widen and my heart to break.

Not really wanting to deal with the heartless ninja in front of me, I allow myself to speak from my gut. "Leave."

"What?" she asked confused.

"LEAVE! Right now, I don't want to hear it. I'm going to take a shower, and when I'm out I don't want you in my apartment." I say, turning to the bathroom so she doesn't see the tears forming in my eyes.

"Tony, I'm so-"she starts, regretting her words.

"I said I DON"T want to hear it!" I say before I slam the bathroom door, ignoring her plea.

I turn on the water, but don't actually go in. I wanted to wait until she left. After what felt like an hour, I heard my front door slam. I then switch the water off and wander back into my living room There I see a piece of paper on my coffee table that defiantly wasn't there earlier. As I get closer, I see with a sinking feeling that it is written in Ziva's distinctive script. In movies, notes are never a good sign, so I brace myself for the worst.

_Dear Tony,_

_I really don't know what got into me tonight. I'm sorry about what I said about you and the relationship. After Michel died 3 years ago, I was upset with you and how I thought you were trying to take advantage of me. Now that Ray is dead, when you kissed me my first instinct was that you were doing that once again. When you told me to leave, I realized you were honestly trying to wake me up. I can't tell you what the nightmare was about, but I can promise I won't misjudge you ever again. I'm leaving…tonight. I figure this was nicer than Somalia because this is my goodbye. Please, please, please don't come looking for me. It's a good thing I'm leaving this time. Goodbye Tony, forever._

_Love,_

_Ziva David_

I drop the letter and grab my cellphone. I press my speed dial 2 for Gibbs. Luckily, he picked up on the first ring. "Boss, we've got a problem," I say.

"What happened, Tony?" His gruff voice questioned.

"Ray Cruz is dead and Ziva ran away." I say, my heart skipping a beat when I hear myself say the words.

_. . ._

**A/N: Wow, this story went in a total different direction than planned! Hope you guys like it, and sorry it's so short. It will be longer next chapter…which should be up on Wednesday. Tuesday I can't write for obvious reasons. LOL! Review!**


	5. Intuitive Dreams?

Dead at Last

**A/N: Mwah-ha-ha-ha! I'm back up again. I am so sorry for not having anything up for so long. I kind of lost my notepad so….anyway, I have stuff up! I hope this is sufficient for everybody! Enjoy!**

**. . .**

"_Ray Cruz is dead, Ziva is gone."_

_. . ._

"What do you mean Ziva is gone?" Gibbs demanded.

"Gone, as in… Gone," I say not knowing how to explain what I have done. "She said not to look for her and goodbye forever," I say, reciting from the note still in my hands.

"I'll be there in fifteen. Call the others," Gibbs responded, hanging up before I could say anything.

I look around my empty apartment after I closed my cell and realized how lonely and sad it looked. When I finally realize Gibbs would be knocking at my door in about ten minutes, I pick up my phone again and dial McGee. "Be at my apartment in ten," I say, but hang up before the geek could answer. I call both Ducky and Abby in the same fashion because I knew they would be heartbroken if I didn't call them. I almost dial Ziva but quickly wake out of my trance and shut my phone.

The wait for everybody was dreadful. All I could do is stare at the note and read it over and over. By the time I heard the knock on the door, my eyes were glazed over and my body limp. "It's open!" I call, not able to will my position on the couch. The door opened to reveal my NCIS family minus one.

"What happened?" They all ask in perfect unison. I point to the note I places back on the coffee table. They all gather around the ring leader that is Gibbs to read. They all read the note at their own pace but all comprehended it in the same fashion.

Abby finished first, being the smartest. "Wait, you KISSED her? Oh Tony, I'm so happy for yo- Oh My gosh! Honey, I'm so sorry!" She ran to me and gave me a huge hug. When she plopped down next to me, I could help but remember that Ziva sat there not even two hours ago.

McGee finished second and his geeky eyes showed bewilderment, but luckily said nothing. He sat down next to Abby and awkwardly rubbed the goth's back.

Ducky was next. "My poor fellow," he said simply, shaking his head.

Gibbs took what felt like forever to read the infamous note, "Do you have any idea where she might be?" he asked, ignoring the fact everybody else was fixated on the kiss we shared.

"I have no idea, boss" I say, thinking hard. "A hotel maybe? You know she wouldn't go back to her apartment.

"Why? What happened?" Abby pipes up. I forgot that Ray's death isn't known to her.

"Ray Cruz is dead. And you know she wouldn't go back because that's going to be the first place we check," Gibbs says matter-of-factly.

"That's not all, I forgot to mention that his body is at Ziva's apartment." I say quietly. I hear the collective gasp.

Gibbs thinks over this long and hard. "McGee, you and I will hit Ziva's tomorrow. I'll need you there too, Duck, to collect Ray's body. Abby, whenever you come in tomorrow, I want you to track Ziva's credit card and phone, ect."

"Even though that is typically McGee's job, I will be happy to," Abby says mournfully.

"What about me, boss?" I ask, wanting to help.

"You, stay home and relax," Gibbs said.

"B-But I want to help find her!" I exclaim.

"You've done enough, DiNozzo," he said sternly, then turns to everyone else. "Go home, we've got a long day tomorrow." He then turned and walked out of my apartment. Slowly, everybody followed suit. Before Abby left me, she gave me a peck on the cheek.

"I'll keep you updated," she said. Before she exited through the door, she turned back, "Please don't come in tomorrow, give it a few days. I don't want to see you in the office until Wednesday. Please don't do anything stupid," she says with genuine care.

I respond with a weak nod. And with the final slam of the door, I'm alone once again. I couldn't stand to think about everything, especially since I have to dwell on it for the next forty-eight hours. Since I wanted to get away from everything for even just a little bit, I manage to drag myself into my room. Even enveloped in my comforter, I couldn't get warm. It was a cold feeling that I had that I was the reason that Ziva was missing. I was trying to think of places she could be, but came up with nothing. She would never go to her apartment and she wouldn't stay in DC, so I couldn't narrow down anything except she was in one of the 48 continental states. With everything still whirling in my head, I fall into a fit-full sleep.

**. . .**

I wake up to the blinding sunlight coming from my window. I was dripping in cold sweat. When I was asleep, I dreamt the scene before Ziva left. The instant she left, I had a vision that Ziva was in a dark room, screaming and being tortured. It looked even worse than in Somalia. When I realize all of this, I fumble for my phone only to realize it was in the living room. I jump out of my bed and stagger to the room. I quickly grab the phone and dial Gibbs.

"What DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, annoyed that I called when he gave me the day off.

"I had a dream," I say nervously.

"About what?" he asked, still annoyed.

"Ziva, I had a dream about her. I had a dream that she was being tortured. Here's the catch….i had this feeling that she was in the relative D.C. area."

**. . .**

**A/N: Bum Bum Bum! I'm again sorry for the awful delay. Have I even mentioned that I apparently have no free time anymore? Well it sucks because I now I have no time to type. I seriously already have like two more chapters but have no time! Well, anyway, review! So I feel better about myself. Thanks SOOOOO much! **


	6. Don't Take Walks

**Dead at Last**

**A/N: Okay. I apologize that this is shorter than the normal. But I can SO promise next chapter is longer. Written out…it is about 4 pages long! Well I an say I LOVED NCIS last night as well. I loved the subtle Tiva action! **

**. . .**

"Here in D.C?" Gibbs asked, surprised at me for once.

"Yes, D.C., I saw her in an industrial building. It has to be close by; it looked like she was already being tortured for hours. It's close to impossible to be more than an hour out of D.C. and be tortured for hours. She had already been gone for three hours when I had that dream," I say, rushing through the details.

"I'll have McGee look into it. I don't know why I would even look into it, but I'll have McGee check it back when we get back to the office," Gibbs said.

"I come in, boss. I can help!" I say with excitement, getting up from the couch I didn't realize I sat down on.

"NO. You stay home. I don't want to see you until tomorrow," he said quickly and roughly.

"But!"

"No Butts!" He interjected. "Stay home!"

"Okay," I say, defeated when I hang up the phone. I plop back on the couch and sigh. To attempt to prevent myself from fixating on Ziva, I flip on the television.

_Missing Girl, abducted from her home just last night'_ ZNN reports, breaking my will down. I change the channel and landed on "The Sound of Music," Seeing that movie made my mind relapse on the previous night, causing me to cringe. With that, I turn off my satellite receiver and walk over to my movie collection. Even just looking at my movies was a sick reminder that Ziva was gone. I plop back onto my couch and pick up my phone. I flip it open and go straight to Ziva's contact information. "Where are you?" I whisper to myself as my finger linger on the green dial button. I'm about to press it, when my phone rings and Abby's face pops up.

"Don't you dare," she says with deep anger when I pick up.

"H-How do you know?" I asked, very surprised to say the least.

"Magic," she snaps. "You shouldn't be thinking about her."

"It's kind of hard, Abby," I say bitterly.

"Well TRY!" she says harshly, but falls silent. "I'm sorry, Tony. I know this is hard for you. But you have to realize that she's gone for right now. Pretend she's on vacation."

"But how, Abby? Whenever I close my eyes, last night's images paly over and over. I can't look at anything without linking it to something she said," I say, tears running up to my eyes.

"Honey, the most I can say is to burn some lavender. It'll help calm you down. Oh, and eat some food," she directs.

"Where am I supposed to get lavender?" I ask, my mind already sort of away from Ziva.

"Your friendly neighborhood grocery store," she says. "I'm so sorry, Tony, but I have to go. I'll check in with you in about an hour," she finishes. "And ,Tony? Please don't do anything stupid." She then hangs up the phone.

I set down my phone and push myself up from the couch. I tread into my room and switch my pajamas for jeans and a t-shirt. I then take my keys and phone and head out. When I leave my apartment building, instead of heading to the store like Abby said, I allow my feet to take me wherever they pleased. Even though my eyes are open, I can't see where I am going. All I see are random blurs of color. Even though I can hear, all I can really hear is the moments before Ziva left. I still don't physically know where I am, but I feel my hands open and close door as well as press buttons. When my feet stop, my vision clears and my heart stops. I'm at Ziva's apartment.

**. . .**

**A/N: I am very proud of myself that I got this done so quickly! I didn't post It until now, but still. I need reviews! I haven't gotten any reviews since chapter three! It makes me sad! Please spitball ideas because I don't think I'm done with chapter seven yet. Again, please review!**


	7. Aliases

**Dead at Last Ch.7**

**A/N: After great time away, I am back! I left for a while because of some…difficulties writing. I personally think this chapter is a little fluffy, but if you guys like it….HOOPLAH! Enjoy!**

**. . .**

_"I'm at Ziva's apartment."_

**. . .**

I honestly don't know how I ended up here. I seriously don't. I thought I was only blurred from the world for five minutes, but her apartment is about twenty blocks away…maybe even more. I take out my phone and check the time, one 'o five PM. Crud, I've been gone for over an HOUR and five minutes. I also have a missed call from Abby, Gibbs, AND McGee; with texts asking where I am and the last one telling me Gibbs was en route to my apartment ten minutes ago. I know they are there by now. I ignore the little feeling in my gut telling me to book it to my apartment and bend down to find the key Ziva had hid behind a loose piece of board on the wall. She had obviously forgotten about it when she took off last night. I unlock the door and was pleasantly surprised when I saw everything was exactly the same way it was the last time I was there. I then sit on HER couch and pick up HER phone, but I dial MY number.

"Where the H*ll are you, DiNozzo?" Gibbs demanded once he picks up my house phone.

"…Ziva's apartment," I admit with defeat.

"WHY?"

"Well…you see," I stutter.

"No, I don't"

"Well ,neither do I, boss. Abby told me to go…get some soup, but the moment I walked out of my door, it felt like an out of body experience. The next thing I knew, I was standing right outside of Ziva's door. It had been over an hour and I didn't even realize you guys called."

There was a moment of silence as Gibbs thought over what I had just said. "Be in the squad room in fifteen," he said at last.

"But, I don't have a car!" I exclaimed, remembering that I _walked_ here.

"I don't care," he hung up, leaving me to find a way to the office. I started to jog the way down, but my legs quickly protested and gave out. I glance at the street and spot a line of taxis coming toward me. I run into the center divider and attempt to hail one. I watch with great frustration as the multi-color taxi stream ignored me. As I begin to loose hope, a lone yellow taxi comes around the corner.

I wave my arms wildly above me, and pray it stops. The taxi almost betrayed me, for it braked 3 feet in front of me. "00000 Federal Lane," I recite as I jump into the back seat. "I'll pay extra if you sstep on it. And when I say step on it, I mean you have to have me there in the next," I glance at my watch quickly, "twelve minutes."

"You've got it," the driver responded, stepping on the gas harder, causing my body to be thrown against the back seat. "I hate to be rude, but what's so important?"

I glance to the buildings around me. "Umm, I am late for an important meeting," I lie carefully. I don't want to admit my defeat or weakness. I was trying to get _away_ from Ziva, but only managed to end up closer. I ended up at her apartment. This means I have a very strong weakness about her being hurt, and Gibbs is defiantly going to question me about that later. When I see the office building, I grab my wallet and pull out two twenties. I toss them at The driver through the little window and jump out just as the taxi slows its speed dramatically. "Thanks for the ride!" I call, already ten paces from the yellow taxi. I suddenly gain a new sense of energy and burst into a sprint, and manage to get up to the bull pen with two minutes to spare.

. . .

"I'm here, boss," I breath as the elevator door opens and I trip over my feet into the office.

Gibbs looks up from his computer, surprised that I actually made it on time. "Sit, Breathe," he says and points at my desk.

"Why do I need to be here, boss?" I ask as I wobble to my desk.

"You are the only person I know who can get into Ziva's head that isn't trained to do it. Ducky can do it too, but he's going to need help from you and Abby. I can't call you every time we need help, it's illogical."

"Oh," I say with disappointment as I slump into my chair. I had hoped with all my might that we had gotten a lead, but apparently not.

A few minutes pass and Gibbs gets up from his own chair, "Okay, get up," he says as he walks to the elevator.

"Do we have a lead?" I ask with great excitement, following my boss.

"I have no clue, Abby called and said to come down. You figure it out," he replied gruffly.

I try to remember when there was a phone call coming into the office, but come up blank, "Shhe called?"

When I say this, Gibbs's face softens ever so slightly. "You really miss her, don't you? I thought you were just over-reacting."

"Why would I _just_ over-react? She's been here for over six years! She was- is my partner. I—"

"Love her?" Gibbs asks quietly.

My eyes widen when he states this so…bluntly. "Gibbs! I would never break one of your rules!" I defend quickly.

"Rule number twelve isn't a rule that can be avoided, Tony. Love happens. It's actually there to remind myself, actually."

"About Jenny, I know. She told me when you… retired. She said she hurt you so much when she left you. And I hurts _me_ for you to think I would betray you. I wasn't going to say love, I was going to that I don't want Ziva to die. Too many women have died for this agency. Ziva doesn't deserve that after all she's been through." I finish just as the elevator door opens. This allows me to walk out without a response. I allow Gibbs to follow me into the lab.

"Gibbs!" Abby exclaims, turning around. When she sees me instead of Gibbs, her smile turns into a frown. "Tony, I told you I didn't want to see you until…." She then realized Gibbs knew I was here when he strolled in behind me. "Gibbs, I told him not to do anything stupid. If he did anything, it's not my fault," she insists, putting her hands up.

"He's here because, yes, he did something stupid. But he's also here to help. You actually did have something to do with that, but I'll discuss that with you later. We are here because you called me, remember?" He reminded the Goth.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that." Abby said, turning to her computer. "Looking at everything we found in Ziva's apartment, we have a big fat nothing. But from what Tony thinks, a lot of possibilities come up.

"In the D.C. area, there are 8 vacant industrial buildings. In the areas surrounding D.C. though, there are over 30 buildings. WE can use all owr manpower and check into that. Or we just use Rule Number Five and 'Don't waste the good,' and just go into overtime to look for any other variables. And because we all love Ziva, we won't ask for money or use comp. time." Abby concluded.

McGee chose that instant to burst into the lab from Abby's office. "Ziva could have been hiding in plain sight. She could have used an alias."

. . .

**A/N: I currently have no idea on where this is going. I have no idea if I even want to CONTINUE this story. Please review and tell me what to do. I will not write anymore until I get at least 7 reviews. Thanks so much. And please give me some ideas.**


	8. She DOES Care!

**Dead at Last **

**A/N: I have to admit, actually getting myself to write this chapter was harder than actually writing this. Just pretend the events from "Housekeeping" and "A Desperate Man" never occurred. Those episodes, I was **_**not**_** expecting! Anyway, I hope you guys like this after my long hiatus! **

**. . .**

_"Ziva could have been hiding in plain sight. She could have used an alias."_

. . .

I blinked at what Probie told us all. How could I have been so _blind_? Of course she would have used an alias. I grew the strongest urge to slap myself across the back of the head as I realized how naïve I had been thinking. Why the hell would I have a dream that would turn out to be actually correct? That's crazy talk right there! I searched my mind for names she could have used, but my devastated mind couldn't even think of a first letter of a name.

"Name, McGee," Gibbs prompted the geek. I could see that Gibbs was just as excited about this ground breaking news as I was, but he hid it so much better. Gibbs held his composure and the look he gave McGee managed to have him to begin stuttering.

"I-I have n-no idea, Gibbs," McGee admitted weakly. His cheeks flushed slightly and Abby rolled her eyes. She was definitely expecting more. McGee looked sad that he didn't get anywhere besides the word 'alias.'

Gibbs thought for a moment, "I want all three of you searching for possible names. I'm going down to see Ducky," He decided. Before any of us can protest or question, he left us all alone in the lab with only our own devices.

As soon as we heard the elevator ding, and the doors closed, Abby spoke up. "What did you do, Tony?" She looked at me with eyebrows raised high. McGee turns to me with that question and gave me the same questioning look Abby was giving me at the exact moment. They look at each other and nod at each other. "You fell for her," Abby stated bluntly. McGee nods in agreement.

I tugged at my collar, "No. I. Do. Not," I denied. I didn't see why everybody just assumes that I 'fell' for Ziva just because of my devastation of her disappearance. No, I was not in love with her. Yes, I was attached to her because she's been here so long, but I would pull the same act if Abby or Gibbs, or even McGee, went missing. It was anything a sane person would do, I would never fall for a coworker. I enjoyed my life too much.

"If you say so," Abby said with no conviction. She turned to her computer and pulled up a search window. "Any ideas for Ziva's name?" She asked me and McGee, her fingers poised over the keyboard. She looked at us, waiting for an answer, a look of impatience upon her face.

A moment of awkward silence passed of me and the geek looking at each other before McGee spoke up. "Sophie Ranier," he mentioned hesitantly. I take a look at him with my eyebrows furrowed. I could not think of a reason she would pick that of all names. The way she reacted when I kissed her, I would never guess that she would pick a name from when we were together. Well, we were undercover, but still, together none the least.

Abby, however, was un-phased and typed in the name. No results. "Tony?" She looked at me hopefully. I knew she thought McGee was going to be hopeless on the topic of choosing names, because unlike Abby and me, he wasn't as connected to Ziva as we were.

"Gina Daniels," I recalled the name Ziva used in a different undercover op. I remember that day like it was yesterday, she was so damn retained about how the case affected her when she ended up killing a man. She never expected to become attached to the man, and looked down upon herself even more when she started to sleep with Michael. That seemed more likely than Sophie. At least in my mind.

Abby came up, once again, with no results. We kept shooting out names with no results from _The Sound of Music_ and other people that may seem important to Ziva. We came up with nothing after a good solid thirty minutes. Finally, McGee's whole face lit up and he almost jumped with excitement. He came up to Abby and whispered a name into her ear. Abby grinned wildly and pounded in the name to the engine. Her smile broadened when she got a positive result. "Gotchya," she declared.

"What is it, Abby?" I question, now suddenly suspicious. I could not believe McGoo of all people could find Ziva's alias. I at least expected it to be Abby, but never the geek. Though the thought of McGee knowing a part of our partner better than I did slightly angered me, I was also excited to know that we now have the next clue into finding Miss Ziva David.

"You'll never guess," Abby said, her voice shaking slightly. She sort of bounced in excitement until she looked at my anxious face. Then she calmed down and walked over to grab me by the shoulders. "Ziva must really care about you," she started, "because her alias is a Mrs. Toni DiNozzo."

. . .

**A/N: I know it's short, but if I didn't write this, you wouldn't see an update for at least another month. How do you like it? Please R&R!**


	9. The Fox Could Care Less

**Dead at Last Ch.9**

**. . .**

"…_her alias is a Mrs. Toni DiNozzo."_

_. . ._

My mouth hung open and I blinked. "Toni DiNozzo?" I ducked out of Abby's gasp and began pacing across the tile of her lab. "No, that's insane, it's _not_ possible. After last night, s-she _hated_ me." It had to be a joke. I mean, I kissed her and she went ballistic. That, and, Gibbs was sure to hate me after he found out about this. I _just_ promised him Ziva and I weren't involved. And then this. I knew I developed a crush on her, but it was innocent. I swear.

"She was _scared_, Tony," Abby said, jolting me out of my thoughts. I stared at her blankly and she gave me a pissed off look. "Do you want to know what happened _last_ time Ziva was scared?" She stopped only to catch her breath, not nearly enough time for me to intervene. "She ran away to Israel. She blamed you for all her problems and ran back home and nearly got _killed_!" At this point, she was shaking with anger.

Abby's body stops and she looked up at me, her eyes glassy. "She _can't _die, Tony."

I wrapped Abby in my arms, "She's not going to die, Abby. She may have left—but we _can _find her." I looked up at McGee, to whom I at that moment just remembered was standing there, who had his mouth agape. He was jealous. "McGee, call Gibbs and tell him—"  
>"Tell me what?" Gibbs demanded as he walked through the door. I stepped away from Abby and glanced at my boss. Just looking at him, I <em>knew<em> he _knew_ we _knew_ something, _before_ we even knew something. Story of him and his damn sixth sense. And judging by the coffee cup in his hands, he stopped for a refill just to build up suspense. I must have spaced out by then because the next thing I knew, there was a sharp pain at the back of my head. "Stay with the program, Tony."

I nodded and gave him a thankful smile. "Abby f—" I'm cut off by McGee clearing his throat; I sigh. "Abby _and_ McGee found Ziva and her alias." Realizing I was about to be in a sticky situation when Gibbs decides to not like the alias and it's connections, I inched toward the doorway. Gibbs raised his eyebrow and motioned for me to continue. I shook my head and looked for Abby for help.

She sighed much like me a few moments ago and shook her head in amazement of how terrified I was of Gibbs. She had no reason to be scared, she _was_ Gibbs's favorite. He wouldn't even slap the back of her head, only kiss her cheek and tell her 'Good Job, Abs.' "We found her in a Hilton in the Metro Area. I don't think she was _trying _to hide. Scare the hell out of us, sure. But not hide." Abby explained, her previous tears now dry and a smile replaced her uncertainty I caused.

"Her alias?" Gibbs asked gruffly. He was losing patience with his favorite and that made me move even closer to the door.

Abby looked at me hesitantly first and I nodded her on. "Her alias was… a missus… Toni DiNozzo. Toni with an 'I.'" Her eye twitched, nervous for Gibbs's reaction. But the reality left me surprised.

Gibbs turned to me, his face blank of emotion. "Let's get her," he commanded, patting me on the back on his way out.

**. . .**

**A/N: Sorry for the, again, short update. I'm hoping to finish this before I start school again in August, so let's hope for the best! Please Review and tell me how I'm doing!**


	10. A New Letter! Abduction!

**Dead at Last Ch.10**

**. . .**

"_Let's go get her," Gibbs commanded, patting my back on his way out._

_. . ._

Thirty minutes and a phone call to both Ducky and the Director later, our entourage arrived at the Hilton Plaza. Though an obvious abuse of power, Gibbs flashed his badge when we reached the front desk, "We're looking for a Missus Toni DiNozzo. Can you provide us with a room number?" He glanced at me unsurely as he said the name and my gut twists. Even though he hasn't said anything directly, I knew he was thinking deeply about it.

The concierge looked at our group and typed something. Moments later, he glanced back at Gibbs's intimidating stare helplessly with his blue eyes. "I'm sorry, but Missus DiNozzo checked out this morning. She was accompanied by two men, she _did _leave something here for the mister." He reached under the desk and pulled out a small envelope covered in her handwriting. "She slipped this in with her cash. I guess she didn't want her company to know." He held the envelope out to Gibbs, "I'm sorry for not being able to help you more."

I could tell Gibbs wanted to reiterate rule number six, but he just nodded his head gruffly instead. He turned to McGee and motioned for him to get the envelope. The geek jumped and reddened as he fumbled for a latex glove from his pocket. "T-Thank you."

The concierge raised an eyebrow and his blue eyes shone with uncertainty. "Was Missus Dinozzo in trouble?"

"I don't know, maybe," Gibbs sighed before turning away and heading out of the hotel. McGee and I exchanged nervous glances before nodding at the bewildered man behind the desk.

We crossed the linoleum of the hotel and came bursting out of the sliding doors mere seconds after our boss. "What do you mean by 'maybe,' Gibbs?" I demanded, crossing my arms. Ziva wasn't doing anything wrong, there was no reason whatsoever for her to be in trouble. It's not like we were looking to arrest her, right? I mean, she was just missing. Not that missing isn't tragic, just much less awful than murder.

Gibbs narrowed his eyes, "Did you _not_ hear the concierge? He said she was accompanied by two men. DiNozzo, you need to screw your head back into place, you aren't thinking clearly. You're losing it." His words were filled with concern and I knew he was right. Much better than the disappointment I felt emitting from him earlier.

I broke eye contact with my boss and his never-wavering gaze and turned to McGee. "Anything interesting in the letter?" My voice was strained and I could still feel Gibbs as he watched my every move. He was right as always. I _was_ losing it. But the only person that could help me find it was gone.

"I-I didn't open it yet," he admitted weakly, holding the envelope out to me.

Sighing, I snatched it out of his hand, not exactly pleased he didn't read it before. But I was glad at the same time. I ripped open the envelope and pulled out the hotel stationary covered in her script.

_Tony,_

_ If you're reading this, I guess you found out my alias. It's not like it's a hard personality to assume, I _was_ your wife for a few days. I swear I was planning on coming back soon, I was just scared… about everything. But then, these two guys came into my room telling me they'd kill you if I didn't come with them. They killed Ray. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they killed you too. I don't know much, but these two men are working for someone. I know it. I have to finish now before they get suspicious, I wanted to let you know—the whole team know, actually—that I'm sorry for acting irrationally. And tell Abby to calm down, I just know she's freaking up._

_All My Love,_

_Ziva_

Tears welled up in my eyes as I read the letter. There was deep turmoil in my gut and I felt as if was going to throw up. It was like Somalia was relapsing, but worse. This time she was here, but still can't save her. I dropped the letter, unable to speak.

Gibbs caught the letter in mid-air. I watched in horror as his face hardened as he read the letter. "Get back to the office. We have work to do."

**A/N: I'm proud of myself, because I know exactly how to end this story. I promise everybody will enjoy it, but no, I won't give spoilers. Please Review since you already went through the trouble of reading this.**


	11. Cheerful Bets

**Dead at Last Ch.11**

**. . .**

"_Get back to the office."_

_. . ._

When we arrived back at the office, Abby was bouncing at the entry-way with a smile on her face. "Where is she?" She asked, looking back at the car, as if she was expecting Ziva to pop out of the back seat and greet her with open arms. A moment passed with no response and Abby's smile dropped; she glanced at our hardened faces. "Where _is_ she?" She reiterated, her voice shaking as if she was about to cry.

Gibbs presented Abby with the letter from his jacket pocket and she looked at it with uncertainty. "Not again," she whimpered as she accepted the letter. I knew where she was coming from, the first time Ziva ran away she left a letter then too. I wondered what was with Ziva and letters. A loud gasp coming from the scientist in front of me broke me out of my thoughts. She looked up, her face a mask of horror and her tears flying. "You _promised _me, Tony! YOU PROMISED ME she wouldn't die!"

I crossed the space between s and grasped the goth by the shoulders, "She _isn't_ dead, Abby. If she was—If she was, I would_ know_." I thought the words in my head again and my arms dropped and they hung limply at my sides. It was that exact moment when I realized.

Everything made sense now. My hurt when Ziva refused to accept my apology. My concern when she showed up at my doorstep, bloody. Letting her watch _The Sound of Music_. Kissing her. The despair I felt when she ran away. My hay-wired senses at that moment. It was _clear_. It all boiled to one thing: my love for Ziva.

"H-How would you know?" Abby asked with her voice small, once again pulling me from my thoughts. She looked up at me, her eyes hopeful and she wiped the tears from the bottom of her eyelashes. She was easy to calm down, hopefully.

I raised my eyebrow, still really dazed from the realization of the century. I recalled the words that delved me into my head in the first place and I give Abby a small sad smile. "I would know because—"

"He loves her," a gruff voice answered for me. Surprised, I turned to face the man who said these words and he stared back at me with his icy blue eyes all-knowing. I couldn't deny it, it would hurt too much. And at that moment, it was too much for me to take off any more hurt. I nodded meekly and he returned it with a gaze of approval. Which was much better than the slap to the back of the head I was expecting.

Abby squealed and wrapped her arms around me, "I _knew_ you'd figure it out!" Yep, easy to change her moods and make her happy. She squeezed my torso before turning us to face McGee and she grinned. "You owe me twenty bucks, McGee."

McGee sighed and pulled out his wallet. "Dammit," he muttered, handing Abby the bill with Jackson on it.

I stepped from Abby's grasp and raised my eyebrows. "You made a bet?"

Abby's smile broadened and she nodded. "And now, I have the energy and motivation to get working. Like, right now. I need to get two lovers back together." She winked at me and re-entered the building.

**. . .**

**A/N: I just had to get this out here. Yes, it's a sweet chapter! Please review and tell me how you like it! **


	12. And There She Is

**Dead at Last Ch.12**

"_Abby's smile broadened and she nodded. "And now, I have the energy and motivation to get working. Like, right now. I need to get two lovers back together." She winked at me and re-entered the building."_

_. . . _

"So we've figured out that if Ziva's captors are working in a group, they _have _to be working locally. Like, still in the city, under the radar, kind of place." Abby explained to me in her lab. I'd been zoned out for who knows how long and Abby had just slapped me upside the head to gain my attention. Apparently during my trip to la-la land, she had acquired permission from Gibbs.

I nodded, still distracted and having no knowledge whatsoever on what she just said. I could not, for the life of me, get my mind off of Ziva. It's like the plague. But worse. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face. Every second my brain put forth reassurance that she's okay. Alive. It kept me sane.

Abby slapped my arm, "Tony, you aren't even paying attention1" I flinched and murmured an apology.

"I was!" I paused, trying to find at least one thing I had heard. "Okay, they're working locally. Do you have any ideas in where these people might be?" I asked, putting forth my whole attention to the scientist.

She laughed, a laugh that told me she was enjoying my stupidity of the moment. "Yeah, no. I just started to look." She continued to type, "I'm looking for cell tower usage as well as deliveries to various vacant buildings in the area. It'll be a few before I find any—" She was interrupted by an arrangement of different bells, and I lurched forward, waiting.

"Did you find her?" The desk chair I was sitting in flew backward at my haste. My heart raced in my chest with excitement and my hands shook.

Abby raised an eyebrow, "Tony, calm down. I most likely have a dozen different places to narrow…down." She looked at her screen in bewilderment. "Wowzers, I only have—four locations. Two different warehouses, a town house, and an old apartment building. The apartment building was part of an investigation about two years ago, I'll place bets there. Or the warehouse. Totally, cliché but it works."  
>I jump toward Abby and moved to kiss her on the cheek, "Thank you, Abby." I started for the door, ready to tell Gibbs about our—Abby's—discovery. I felt her grab my arm just as I reach the door frame and I turn back. "What's up?"<p>

"Not so fast, mister," She laughed as she pulled me back to her desk. I didn't struggle, she would only hurt me. "I have strict orders not to let you out of my sight," she explained, crossing her arms and retrieving my earlier discarded chair. "Sit."

Reluctantly I sat back down. I gaped at Gibbs's precautions, but try to hide my hurriedness. "How will he know we narrowed down the choices?"

Abby rolled her eyes and smiled at something behind me, "Hi, Gibbs!"

I turned and saw my boss standing right there. Speak of the devil. "H-Hi, Gibbs."

Gibbs gave me a concerned look before turning back to Abby. "What do you got, Abs?" I swore, he was just as urgent as me, but that could just be me jumping up and down in the chair.

She hands him a yellow post-it, "The four possibilities of where Ziva could be held listed in relativity to closeness to the office.

He smiled, "Thanks." He kissed her cheek and moved to me and held out a hand for me, "Come on, DiNozzo." I grabbed his hand and pulled myself up following his trail closely.

"On your six, boss!"

. . .

Our first stop was the town house. When we arrived, there were movers up the wazoo, moving furniture into the building. I was left in the car for reasons unknown to myself. I'm left to my own devices with my mind forever glued to her while the two of them question an innocent mover. Not even minutes later, they're back in the car. Gibbs rolled his eyes, "Someone bought it this morning. Not in the system." I laughed—only to receive a head slap. I flinched as we drove off.

. . .

Next, we drove up to one of the vacant warehouses. No activity. We all stepped out of the car, despite the lack of everything. As the door is knocked down, nothing. Not even a box. Defeated, we stroll back to the car.

. . .

At out third stop and our second warehouse, I didn't expect much. Sure, third time's a charm, but with my luck—Ziva wouldn't be at any of these locations. The warehouse looked almost exactly like the last one. No activity on the outside. But, as I stepped out I received a flash of Ziva. Alive.

When we approached the building I could start to make out the murmur of voices on the inside. My heart raced as Gibbs kicked down the door without a word. Neither he nor I gave a damn about the law at that point. No alarms sounded and the voices grew louder. Together, we walked into the building and gazed in awe at the set-up. I could hear a woman barking out orders, a familiar voice, but I couldn't place it.

The building was no vast space, but a series of complicated passageways. After a long period of trial and error—booby traps and dead ends—we reach the shadows surrounding what seemed to be home base. My heart skipped a beat when I spotted Ziva. Sure, she was bloody and bruised, but she was still the woman I know I love.

But the figure in front of her caused my heart to stop. Blonde ponytail. Jeans and work boots. Her hair flew as she turned to face me, obviously because she heard our walking. Her face broke into a grin. "Nice of you to finally join us, Tony."

. . .

**A/N: Mwa ha ha ha! Cliff hanger! Any guesses on the blonde? Sadly, I can't really squeeze much else out of this and next chapter will most likely be the ending. Good ol' lucky Thirteen. Anyway, Please Review! **


	13. Happily Ever After

**Dead at Last Ch. 13**

_"Nice of you to finally join us, Tony."_

**. . .**

"You guys too, Gibbs and McGee. I've been waiting for you to find me." I glanced back and their faces where just as shocked as mine felt. I focused my attention back to the blonde. "Shocked, Tony? Didn't think I would hurt your beloved, did you?"

I tried to keep my face neutral when she referred to Ziva as my beloved and allowed my eyes to fill with hatred. "Why do you have to be such a bitch, E.J.?"

She laughed and clutched her stomach, "Tony, you just don't get it." Giving me a pointed look, she lays her hand upon Ziva's shoulder. Ziva flinched. "Every time we were together, your mind was elsewhere. After months of thinking—I found 'elsewhere.'" She squeezed the shoulder and Ziva cried out in pain. E.J. laughed sadistically and kept the pressure going.

I swore I could feel a sharp pain in my own shoulder, but I could just be overthinking this whole newfound love thing. "Get your hands off of her," I growled. About to run over and push the blonde over, I could care less if her henchmen would shoot me so long Ziva was safe. With my foot not even an inch off the ground I felt my bosses hand on my shoulder and I stopped.

"Following the boss's orders again?" She asks snidely. "Is that how it was when we were 'dating?'"

That was it. She'd royally pissed me off. I was able to take one step when her voice rang out again. "Tsk-tsk. Not so fast, hone. One more step—any of you—and both your and your girlfriend's heads will be blown off." I stopped again.

Giving her a dirty look, I crossed my arms. "What the hell do you want?"

She contemplated for a moment, tilting her head back and forth. "You know, when I first came up with this plan, I was going to have you take me back. But then decided you caused me too much heart break just to have you do it again." She gave me a smirk, "I settled on killing your sweetheart and breaking _your_ heart.

The perfect opportunity popped up when her own man killed some guy. I killed him for killing—karma's a bitch." I watch as Ziva registered all of this and lets out a silent sob. Her life was ruined. Her love for Ray really just died in her heart.

With an ache in my heart, I wanted to run up and comfort her. But I couldn't lest we both lose our lives. "So if you wanted her dead, why haven't you done it?" I spat.

It was a risky game I was about to delve into. Trying to play tough was never my forte, but the self-satisfied look on Erica's face told me she bought it. I kept my face neutral and kept my eyes one her forehead.

"I want to kill her in _front _of you," she explained with a wry smile. The smile made me want to kill her.

Just as I'm about to toss out a comeback with all the snark I can muster, a soft scratchy voice rang out. "Give it up, bitch."

Gasping, everybody in the room turned to face Ziva. I stood, gaping. She knew what I was doing. "Excuse me?" E.J. barked. I guessed she assumed Ziva was unconscious.

"Give it up," Ziva repeated. "They're going to win. Anyone could win against your poorly laid out plans. I knew I never liked you." Every word stole her breath and her voice grew fainter.

The blonde cackled. "The only way Tony wins is if you die."

Ziva nodded—I died on the inside. "I'm ready. I've been ready."

"You can't mean that!" I shouted, devastated. I was prepared to book it to my love. Love—the word echoed through my mind. I couldn't let her die. I lifted a foot but Gibbs grabbed me by the shoulders.

He slapped the back of my head, "Get it together, DiNozzo." Removing his hands, he turned to McGee. "Weapon on the ground."

McGee looked at our boss as if he was a cat that could talk. "B-but, boss!"

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Just do it." He took out his own gun and placed it on the ground. McGee reluctantly did the same. He turned to E.J., prepared to do this without me losing my sanity. "Let Ziva go and nobody gets hurt."

"Lemme think—no. I hear sirens outside and each and every one of you dies." Crap. That ruled out running and calling for back up.

I stood in awe for many moments. For the life of me, I could not think of a way where everyone of us stayed safe. "How can Ziva make it out of here alive?" Knowing options would word. I hoped.

"You die." Her answer was short—direct. She knew what she wanted.

Turning to my boss, my face was helpless. He arched an eyebrow and gave me a knowing look. That look brought forth a risky idea from the depths of my mind. 'Follow my lead,' I mouthed, before turning back to E.J.

As my eyes met E.J.'s I took careful not of where her gun laid on her waist. "Deal."

E.J. gaped at me and Ziva snapped her head up—that finally deemed worthy of her attention. The blonde gave Ziva a mock sad look. " I guess we can't finish this up…but a deal _is_ a deal. And more fun!" Ziva tried to object, but E.J. placed a finger over her lips. "Don't worry, you'll find another love of your life." She paused. "Not." Ziva's head fell again, and I wished with all my heart I knew what she was thinking.

With a heavy heart I started toward the two women. My plan played out in my head like a movie and I was dreading the not so happy ending.

As I walked, I kept my eyes on the battered Ziva. If my plan didn't work at least she would survive. My heart pounded with every step I took. And there it was. The moment that could potentially kill me. The final few steps and I managed to trip over my own feet.

I fell on top of Ziva's captor and my hands grazed her belt. My face landed with a jarring thump as my hands fell under my torso. I groaned in pain.

"What are you? Stupid?" She spat, brushing off her shirt. She didn't notice.

I pushed myself up with my free hand and proceeded to wipe my slightly bleeding mouth. "I don't know, are you?" I challenged with a red smile

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Check your gun," I replied. I swung my other arm around and pointed the aforementioned gun at its owner. Her eyes widen at the realization of the fact. I put a round through her shoulder and she screamed as she fell.

Her lackeys- including two equally burly men—ran out and I heard more shots rang out. Gibbs and McGee had their guns again. Almost instantaneously, the half a dozen men fell. E.J. looked at me in horror as she grasped her bleeding shoulder.

"You bastard," she seethed.

I gave her a grim smile. "Thanks." Moments later my team came up behind me. McGee was breathing heavily as our almost un-human didn't break a sweat.

"You're in deep shit, Barret." Gibbs's voice was deep and gruff-he meant business. He tossed handcuffs to McGee. "Tell her her rights."

The geek caught them with ease and hoisted the blonde to her feet. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," he recited, tightening the cuffs as much as possible with much pleasure.

E.J. rolled her eyes and grimaced as her shoulder is pulled back. I gave her a small wave as my partner ushered her out.

Gibbs then grabbed my arm and pulled me up. Together we walked to the place Ziva sat—going straight for the ropes. With the use of two pocket knives, they fall within a matter of moments. Not being bound to the chair, Ziva's body falls forward. I caught her and looked toward Gibbs.

He gave me a short nod and turned to the door. I watched nervously as he disappeared into the darkness.

The door slammed and I looked at the woman in my arms. "Ziva?"

Her eyes flutter open and she looked up at me. "Why did you do this?" Her voice is soft and hoarse. "After all I've done these past few days?"

I smiled. "I was asking myself the same thing. But I've figured it all out." I took a deep breath and looked deep into her eyes. "Ziva David, I love you. I love you with all my heart."

For a moment, she said nothing. My heart beat hurriedly in the silence. Maybe I should've kept silent. Maybe things were going too fast. But when she re-opened her eyes—I knew I did everything right. "I love you too, Tony," she breathed. And we sealed it with a kiss.

**FIN**

**A/N: I'd like to thank everybody who kept reading this no matter how long it took my lazy butt to finish!**

**Shout out to: Aledea0402, iheartiva, Robern, earanemith, aquasm, TivaIsMyWorld, rulenumber12, Guest, Aunt Jo, NCISmuso, Tiva-Babe UK, NCISFreeak, matissek11, Frisbe Ninja, mprmusings, Tiva all the way baby, KaiaBlackrock, mishka, tenahi, People Person I'm Not, rainbow connection, Shakespeare's Lemonade, yum3213, Tali 101, and Wazzup**

**For reviewing at least one chapter of 1-12 and putting up with my review whore tendencies. **


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